Rediscovery
by Merle's Sugartits
Summary: Title subject to change  Wade/OC  Penny Brooks and Stu Bennett were married for just over a year when she filed for a divorce.  After taking a sabatical, she's back. Will the 'new' her fall in love with him again, or is it over for good?
1. Their Marriage

_**Author's Note: **__I do not own any part of, nor am I affiliated with the WWE, or anything the WWE does. The plot is 100% mine, as well as the character Penelope "Penny" Anne Brooks-Bennett. No, I'm not following any of the storylines currently taking place in the WWE (because most of them are recycled stories they've already done or shit), and because why the hell would I want to have to wait 6-8 week for Wade to return to see what they do with him_

_**November 15, 2009**_

_"Do you, Penelope Anne Brooks, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband..."_

_"I do."_

_"And do you, Stuart Alexander Bennett, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife..."_

_"I do."_

_**January 20, 2010**_

"AHHHHH!" Penny shrieked after tearing away the wrapping paper of her birthday present from Stu. "We have to watch this tonight. No, now! Open it and play it!"

Stu chuckled, "You're that excited over a movie?"

"It's not just any movie, it's Wizard of Gore, with Crispin Glover. CRISPIN GLOVER! Do you realize how amazing he is?"

Stu laughed again, "You know, I'm starting to think you love him more than me."

"I've known who he is longer than you."

"That hurts."

She smiled and threw her arms around her husband, "Yeah, but I'm _in _ love with you; not him."

_**March 4, 2010**_

"This is just stupid," Penny complained in a low whisper as they walked into the office. "Why do we have to do this?"

"They just want to make sure our marriage is legitimate and not a scam so I can get a green card."

She groaned, "I'm terrible at tests though."

He chuckled and turned her so he could look in her eyes, "The interviewer will take one look at us and see that we're so in love it's sickening, don't worry."

They sat down in the small office, and started answering the agent's questions. Finally, seeing that Penny was struggling to remember things that didn't really mean anything, Stu said, "Why does any of this matter? It doesn't matter where she grew up or what my first pet's name was. What matters is the way she looked in that pale pink dress the first time I saw her. The way she shivered on the beach the night we shared our first kiss, and the look in her eye when we met. No silly test can determine whether or not we're in love."

"Ohhhh, Stu!" Penny smiled and threw her arms around him. "I love you so much."

"That's enough," the agent said before the affection could go any further. "I've heard enough."

"Are you going to deport me now?" Stu asked, nervously.

The agent shook his head,"No."

**August 29, 2010**

Stu woke up around five in the morning. He could hear the TV in the living room through the bedroom wall. He got up and walked into the other room to see Penny curled up in a ball on the couch with a thin blanket over her. "Penny," he said her name softly, "Penny." He gently nudged her and she opened her eyes.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep, and I didn't want to wake you up."

"Come here," he held his arms out to her, and she wrapped hers around his neck. Stu lifted her off the couch, turned off the TV and carried her to their bedroom. He laid her on the bed and got in beside her. She yawned and curled up against him.

They slept for a few more hours, Penny woke up first. She didn't bother Stu. She just walked into the kitchen and fixed a bowl of Lucky Charms. She sat at the small bar and began eating. Not long after, Stu walked into the kitchen.

She sat in silence eating, barely noticing he had entered the room. "There's no more orange juice?" he asked, looking in the fridge.

She pushed her glass across the bar to him, "I don't really want it."

He looked at her. She didn't look at him. "Are you okay?" he finally asked.

"I'm fine, why?"

He shrugged, "You just don't seem like yourself lately."

"I just don't feel well."

"Well, I'm sorry for that." His hand touched her head and he kissed her cheek. "Try to hurry, we have a flight to catch soon."

She nodded and continued eating her food before showering and putting on fresh clothes. Stu was already dressed and putting their luggage in the car.

That night, they had a show to do. Stu was doing his thing as 'Wade Barrett' while Penny sat in the back watching. She was soon joined by her brother, Phil, "Are you okay?" he asked her, sitting next to her.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" she sighed.

"You just seem...out of it lately. You don't seem like yourself. You're not all...are you on drugs?"

"Jesus, Phil! Really?" She sighed. "Of course I'm not on drugs. I just don't feel well. I think I'm getting sick. I should go away before I give you the flu." Penny got up and left the break room, going back to her locker room.

**February 18, 2011**

Stu walked through the door, home from the gym. Penny was sitting on the couch, the TV was off. "Is everything okay? Did something happen while I was gone?"

She looked up at him, but didn't say anything. She had spent the last half hour trying to find the right words, trying to find the right way to tell him, but hadn't come up with anything yet. He knelt down in front of her, "Penny, what's wrong?"

"I...I filed for a divorce today."

"You what?" He had heard her perfectly fine, he was just stunned by it.

"I'm sorry, I just...I can't..."

"Penny, we can work this out. We can...we can be happy. Just tell me what to do."

She shook her head, "I'm sorry."

"Penny, I love you."

"I love you too, but I'm not _in _love with you. I was once, but not anymore." She got up from the couch, leaving him sitting there. "I'm going to go pack my things. Phil will be here tomorrow to help me move." She walked into the bedroom.

Stu knew this was going to happen sooner or later. She hadn't been the same in awhile. Months really. When they were dating she always smiled, even in her sleep. She was always happy, always laughing. However, half-way through August something changed in her. She barely laughed, or smiled. He'd done everything he could think of to make her happy, to make her want to stay, but in the end, it all proved to be useless.

They didn't speak to each other at all that evening. They didn't even eat dinner together. Stu slept on the couch. Penny woke him up an hour before Phil arrived. He helped them load her things. "What do I do when the papers come?"

She shrugged, "Give them to me at work, or forward them to Phil's."

He nodded, "You're really going to do this? You're really leaving me?"

She nodded.

"Penny," Phil interrupted, "we've really got to get going."

She hugged Stu and he kissed the top of her head before she got in the truck and Phil drove her away.


	2. Her Sabatical

_**May 11, 2011**_

"PHIL!" Penny shouted from her bathroom. Moments later, Phil was standing in the doorway. "What did you do with them?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She shoved past him, "You're not stupid enough to throw them away."

He stayed silent. She threw his bedroom door open and went into his bathroom. She opened the medicine cabinet and found her bottle of aspirin. "You don't need those."

"My head is killing me. Yes, I need these."

"Have you ever stopped to think maybe your headaches are psychosomatic?"

"They're not," she said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing the pitcher of cold, filtered water. She poured it into a large, black coffee mug, and took the first pill.

"You take those things like candy. Besides, I thought you said they don't help. You've become addicted."

Penny rolled her eyes, "Ibuprofen doesn't help. Aspirin makes them slightly tolerable. Besides, I only take two at a time."

"And the big red one is for?"

"It's a multi-vitamin. I'm the lucky one that got stuck with all the blood disorders and genetic diseases, remember." She took the second aspirin, then downed the large tablet.

"If they're that bad, you should go to a doctor."

_**May 25, 2011**_

"Phillip," Penny said sweetly, laying her head on her brother's shoulder.

"Yes, Penelope?" he asked, knowing she was up to something.

"I'm miserable."

"Tell me something I don't already know. You've been moping around for almost a year now. Did getting a divorce not make you happy like you thought it would?"

"I just..." she stopped, trying to think of the right way to put her words, "I don't feel like me anymore. Before it was 'Penny' or 'Penny and Stu'. Somewhere along the way 'Penny' disappeared, and 'Penny and Stu' became one person instead of two separate people."

"That's kind of what happens when you get married."

She shook her head, "That's not what I mean. It's like, I just stopped being me. I..." She thought for a moment, "I need to leave. I need to find myself again."

"So...you're going to leave the WWE?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I need to get away from everything. Do all the things I wanted to, but never had a chance to do."

_**June 16, 2011**_

The typical Diva music taling about how beautiful she was started, and Penny went out for her last match. The fans cheered her on as she made her way to the ring, she smiled and slapped their hands. Unknowing to them, that they wouldn't see her again for a long time. She stood in the ring, patiently waiting for her opponent.

Beth's music started, and she came out. After she posed on the turnbuckle, the bell rang and the match started. Both divas fought hard, but Penny was declared victorious. She stood in the center of the ring, her arm raised, and then Kharma's music started. "Unfortunately," Penny couldn't escape the ring fast enough, and Kharma delivered an implant buster to her, rendering her "injured" and thus, starting Penny's vacation.

_**June 20, 2011**_

Phil sat next to Penny at the airport. "You know, you don't have to stick around," she told him, "I'm a big girl."

"I just wanna make sure you get on the plane safely, and everything." Penny rolled her eyes. A few minutes later, Phil said, "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Of course. Jeez! What is with you?"

"It's just...you're gonna be so far away."

"You know, Florida and Illinois are far away."

"Yeah, but that was different, I still seen you almost every night. You're going to be gone for months."

Penny wasn't sure what to say. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, "Flight 481, to Madrid, Spain is now boarding."

"Well, that's you," Phil said, looking anxious.

"I know." They stood up and he walked her to the gate.

"You'll call me if you need anything, right?"

"Of course."

"Call me every week anyways, just so that I know you're safe?"

"Yes. You know, you're starting to sound like mom."

He hugged her. "You're my baby sister, I have to make sure you stay safe."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm only a few years younger."

"It doesn't matter. You'll always be Peppy to me." She rolled her eyes at the nickname he'd given her when he was five years old and couldn't properly pronounce Penelope.

"And you'll always be 'Philly willy' to me." She grinned and kissed his cheek. "I love ya Phil."

"I love you too."

She boarded the flight, and sat down. She waited patiently for the rest of the passengers to board, and the plane started to move. She watched out the window as the plane moved past the airport. For a moment, she thought she could see Phil standing by the large glass windows watching.

Penny took a deep breath and leaned back against the seat. She glanced at the elderly woman who was sitting next to her. They smiled at each other. "Gum?" the woman asked, reaching into her purse.

"Um...sure."


	3. Her Return

_**January 9, 2012**_

Nobody knew when Penny was returning, no one except for her, and of course, those in charge. Everyone speculated that she'd be there that night. They knew Beth Phoenix had a mystery opponent, and who else could it of been? They questioned Phil, but every time, he'd tell them she hadn't even come home yet.

The last time he had talked to her, she was in Verona, Italy. "She's stil in Europe," he'd tell them, "She's really enjoying herself, I don't think she's coming back, not to wrestling."

That night, Beth's music started and she walked down to the ring, proudly carrying the Diva's Championship with her. She grabbed the microphone, going on about how it didn't matter which of the 'Barbie-doll, cry-babies' her opponent was, that'd she destroy her.

That's when the lights went out. Right before they came back on, the music started. Unfamiliar music, and not the typical diva music either. The members of the audience craned their necks, trying to see who this new diva was. Wrestlers and crew members ran for the nearest monitors, dying to know who it was.

Finally, she appeared. Her cherry red hair fell in curls around her shoulders, just a couple inches above her elbows. She wore black, sequined shorts, and a lacy, long-sleeved, black top. Her black boots reached just past her knees and she paused at the top of the stage, smiling.

"It's Penny!" Jerry Lawler shouted. "I can't believe it! Penny Brooks is back!"

The fans cheered and clapped as she made her way down the ramp and climbed into the ring. The referee started the match. It was hard, considering how long it had been since she was in a ring, but once she got into it, Penny didn't miss a beat. After delivering a sunset flip powerbomb to Beth, Penny pinned her, thus, getting the victory.

Her arm was raised and the fans cheered. Penny slipped out of the ring and grabbed Beth's championship. She slid back into the ring, stood over her, and said, "I'm coming for this." She then dropped the belt next to Beth and left the ring, heading for the back.

She passed through the curtain to see everyone lined up, clapping. She hugged everyone as she made her way down the line. Random people spoke to her, "It's so good to have you back," "You did great out there," "Welcome back," "I missed you," and "Great to see you again," were just a few of the things said.

Penny made her way to the end of the line to see her brother standing there. An expression of, both, happiness and anger on his face. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" he asked.

"So that's how you greet your sister after not seeing her for months?"

"I'm sorry," he hugged her tightly. "But I'm serious, why didn't you tell me?"

She smiled, "I wanted it to be a surprise...to everyone."

"Yeah, but you could've told me. I would've kept it a secret."

"Well, I'm back now, it's too late."


	4. Their Party

_**January 10, 2012**_

Penny walked into the arena the next day, ready for the Smackdown taping. She was greeted with cheers and "welcome backs" from everyone who hadn't been at RAW the night before. Now that she had revealed herself, there was no need for oversized hoodies hiding her face. The Bellas ran up to her throwing their arms around her, "Come with us," Nikki said.

"Where? Why?"

"Just hush and come with us," Brie told her.

She rolled her eyes and followed them to the green room. As soon as Brie opened the door everyone shouted "Surprise!" Both, wrestlers and crew members, had gotten together to throw her a welcome back party.

She grinned and said, "Y'all shouldn't have. This is so sweet." There was a large cake with 'Welcome back Penny!' written on it.

Brie and Nikki both squeezed her tight and said, "We missed you."

It didn't take long for Penny to grow tired of the party. She quietly slipped out and started walking down the hall to her locker room. She was looking over the program for the show tonight, and didn't notice the man standing just around the corner talking to a crew member until she walked right into him.

"I'm so sorry," she said, before he turned around.

Stu turned to face her, and all words suddenly escaped her. "Penny, welcome back."

"Thanks." She smiled, not really sure what else to say.

"You've changed your hair."

Suddenly self-conscious, she ran her fingers through her no longer dark brown hair. "I figured new me, new look." There was a long pause, "Do you like it?"

He nodded, "Red is very fitting on you."

She smiled, "Thanks."

"Why aren't you at your party?"

She shrugged, "I'm just not really up for it right now. Besides, I think it was more for them than me."

"Right, the only time there's a party is when there's a birthday."

She nodded, "Well, I should get going." Penny wanted to make this uncomfortable meeting end as quickly as possible. She slipped past him and took off down the hall.

Stu thought about telling her he was headed that way as well, but decided against it. Instead, he waited until she was out of sight, then he started towards his locker room.

He sat on the bench, lacing up his boots when Heath walked in. "So...Penny's back," Heath said.

"I noticed."

"Are you two gonna..." he trailed off, not really knowing how to word the rest of his sentence.

Stu knew what direction he was headed in and shook his head. "I don't think so," he told him. "She didn't even act like she wanted to be near me when we ran into each other."

"You weren't at the party. Were you avoiding her?"

"No, I just wasn't in the partying mood."

"You still love her?" His tone implied it was a question.

Stu shrugged, "I don't know. I thought I always would, but...it's been so long. She's changed."


	5. Her Challenge

January 16, 2010

"I don't give a damn about my bad reputation" blared throughout the arena as the music started. By the second line of the song, Penny came into view on the monitor. She smiled and winked at the camera before walking down the ramp and climbing into the ring. Her opponent, Eve, was already waiting for her and Divas Champion, Beth, had joined commentary for the match.

Half the crowd cheered Penny, and the other half booed her, neither half really sure if she was heel or face after her actions the week before. She blew a quick kiss to Beth, earning her a scowl, which Penny returned with a smile.

The bell rang, and the match started, it wasn't hard to defeat Eve, but Penny played with her. She let Eve think she was in charge. Penny layed there while Eve prepared to do her 'evesault', and rolled out of the way just in time. Without Penny to land on, Eve felt the full effects of the move, and Penny grabbed her by the hair, pulling her to her feet and tossing her around like a rag doll.

Finally, Penny delivered her Sunset Flip Powerbomb, and brought an end to the match. After the three-count, her arm was raised in victory as Eve rolled out of the ring, and made her way to the back.

Beth stood up at the announcer's table, and Penny stood in the ring, taunting her, begging her to join her. Beth grabbed a microphone, and climbed through the ropes, and a stage-hand gave Penny a microphone as well.

"You know, the _only _reason you won last week is because I wasn't expecting you. You caught me off guard. Trust me, you don't want to face me again."

Penny smiled, "That's funny, because, you see, there are only three divas, yourself included, that are even worth my time. FYI, those other two are Tamina and Natalya. All these models, because that's all they are, like Kelly and Alicia Fox, are just a waste of space."

"I don't disagree with you on that one, however, you can't just waltz in here after being gone for six months and expect a title shot. Even Kelly and Alicia are more deserving simply for the fact that they've actually been here. They weren't off traveling the world."

"In case you haven't forgotten, I beat you last week, and I beat you before I left. It's obvious-"

Penny was cut off by John Laurinaitis who was being followed to the ring by his lackie, David Otunga. Both women sighed, and Penny rolled her eyes, sharing her brother's dislike of the man.

"Ladies, ladies, calm down." Penny leaned against the ropes, not really listening to him. "Now, I have a solution to the problem. Penny, you want a shot at the title, and Beth, you think she needs to prove herself. So, Penny, if you can beat Natalya and Tamina, you can have another match against Beth."

Penny smirked and Beth looked angry. John started to walk back up the ramp. Beth and Penny got in each other's faces. "You'll have to pry this belt from my cold dead fingers," Beth told her.

"That can be arranged," Penny replied.

"Oh, and Penny, one other thing," John said from the stage, "It will be a handicap match."

Penny was now infuriated, but she refused to let him see. Beth got right in Penny's face, pressing her forehead to Penny's. Being the shorter woman, Penny had to use force to make Beth back up, which she did.

Penny slid out of the ring, and walked up the ramp, Joan Jett's voice blaring through the speakers once more.

Penny walked down the hall, and just as she went to turn the corner, she could hear Laurinaitis's voice, talking about her. "She's a big girl, Stu, I'm sure she'll be able to take care of herself out there."

"It's two on one, that's not fair," came Stu's smooth voice. "Besides, Tamina and Natalya are both bigger than her. You might as well put her in a match against Kharma."

"You know, that's not such a bad idea."

Penny peeked around the corner to see Stu shake his head, a few of the curls fell out of place. "You can't do that to her. What did she do to deserve that?"

Laurinaitis didn't respond.

"I think you're just abusing your power again. You can't bring Phil down, so your trying to destroy Penny."

"Why do you care? You're not married to her anymore."

Stu didn't say anything, but from where she was watching, Penny could see his jaw tighten. Laurinaitis patted him on the shoulder and slipped past him.

Penny revealed herself, and his jaw relaxed, "You did great out there," he said, hoping she hadn't heard what had transpired between him and Laurinaitis.

"Thanks."

"You haven't missed a beat."

She smiled, "That's what they keep telling me."

He smiled, and they stood there, awkwardly for a few moments.

"I'm going to go shower," she said, and quickly slipped past him.

Stu watched her walk away and when he turned around, he seen Cody standing there. "You're still in love," Cody said.

Stu shook his head, "No I'm not."

"Stu, it's obvious, to everyone. The lustful looks in the airport all last week. Watching her walk away. That gnawing feeling that you have to just take her in your arms and kiss her like you never kissed her before..."

"Would you just shut up?"

"I'm just saying what you're clearly too afraid to admit."

Stu looked at Cody, "So what if I did still love her?"

Cody shrugged, "It wouldn't matter. I heard she's dating some Italian guy she met in Verona."


	6. Their Match

_**Author's Note:**__ Obviously, I own Tate Rossi, and any other character you don't recognize._

**January 22, 2012**

Penny, Phil, Drew, Nikki, Brie, Heath, and Justin were all going out for dinner before the show. The elevator dinged, and the doors opened and they stepped out into the lobby. A man with a thick Italian accent and chin length brown hair, was standing at the front desk, a suitcase standing next to him. "Here are your keys Mr. Rossi," said the man working behind the desk.

"Thank you," the man said, and turned towards the elevators.

A high-pitched squeel escaped Penny when she seen his face. "Tate!" she shouted, and ran across the lobby to him. She threw her arms around his neck and he picked her up, hugging her tight. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to surprise you," he smiled.

"How did you know I was staying here?"

"I didn't. I was just going to show up at the arena tonight. I got front row tickets."

Penny grinned and quickly kissed him.

Phil cleared his throat, and Penny turned to him, "Oh, I almost forgot! This is my brother, Phil, and my friends, Drew, Nikki, Brie, Heath, and Justin. This is my boyfriend, Tate. We met in Verona."

Phil stepped forward and shook Tate's hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you," Tate said. "I heard a lot about you while Penny was in Italy."

Phil smiled, "I doubt I've heard as much about you." He shot a quick glare at his sister for not telling him. They had been so busy in the last couple of weeks that they'd barely talked about her European adventure.

"You should join us for dinner!" Penny said.

He smiled, "I would love to, just let me take my bags to my room.

**3 Hours Later**

Penny was getting ready for her handicap match when Natalya walked by. "Natty!" Penny called, lightly jogging to catch up with her.

"Yes?" she asked, turning around.

"I want to talk to you, about the match tonight."

"You mean about how Tamina and I are going to destroy you?"

Penny rolled her eyes. "Listen, I know you don't like me, and I don't like you, but I have a proposition for you. Help me win tonight, I'm not saying lay down or anything, just let me win, and after I win the title from Beth, I'll give you the first title shot."

"Really?" Natalya asked smirking. "You think I need you to get a shot?"

Penny shrugged, "Maybe not, but when was the last time you were even in the title picture?" Penny raised an eyebrow. "I don't mean when you were helping Beth destroy Kelly so _she _could get the title either." She paused again, "I could be wrong, but I think the last time you had the belt, Melina was still here."

Neither woman said something for a moment. "Think about it, you and I could rebuild what the bimbos like Kelly and Alicia have ruined. We could be the new Lita and Trish Stratus. We could dominate the Diva Division, make it worth watching again."

A small smile spread across Natalya's lips.

Penny grinned, "I'll see you in the ring." She walked away towards the gorilla position. Ready for the match that would start in just a few minutes.

The match started with Penny facing off against Tamina. Five minutes in, Beth had joined them at ringside. Penny rolled away right as Tamina attempted the Superfly Splash and got the upper hand. Penny dominated the next four minutes of the match, and Tamina finally got away to tag in Natalya, who jumped down off the apron. Tamina stood there in shock for a few seconds before yelling at Natalya to get in the match.

Penny took advantage of the distraction, and delivered a reverse bull-dog before pinning her for the victory. Natalya turned and walked back up the ramp without looking back. As Penny's arm was raised, Beth slid silently into the ring and hit Penny from behind with the Divas Championship.

Penny laid in the middle of the ring, a grimace on her face.

**1 Hour 30 Minutes Later**

Tate had his arm draped across Penny's shoulders as they walked across the parking lot to the rental car. Everyone was going out to celebrate Penny's victory. Next week, she'd have her shot at Beth's title.


	7. Her Accident

_**Author's Note: **__Before I get started, I just wanted to say thank you to xjojox, wertzy, and MilicaBrooks for the kind reviews. (Also, if you don't recognize it, I own it.)_

**January 23, 2012**

When Phil woke up the next morning he squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to sleep longer. Finally, the urge to pee forced him out of bed and he made his way to the bathroom. On his way to the other room, he noticed Penny wasn't in her bed, and assumed she spent the night in Tate's room.

When he was done he turned the TV on. He walked over to the coffee maker and started brewing a cup. "This just in," said the anchorwoman, "late last night there was a fatal car crash involving WWE Diva, Penny Brooks." The cup fell from his hand and he spun around to face the TV, his eyes wide with terror. The anchorwoman continued, "Brooks, and her boyfriend, Tate Rossi, were hit by a drunk driver, who died later at the scene. We don't have any word yet on Brooks' condition, or on Rossi's."

Phil turned off the coffee pot, got dressed as quickly as he could, and grabbed his cell phone and wallet. As he ran down the hall to the elevator, he checked his phone. He had two missed calls, and two voice mails, one from the local hospital, and one from Brie.

Phil arrived at the hospital and rushed inside, "Can I help you sir?" asked the woman at the front desk. "I'm here to see my sister, Penelope Brooks."

"Just one moment," she smiled sweetly, he didn't bother to return it. He was filled with anxiety, and needed to see that Penny would be all right. "She's on the second floor, room 206."

"Thank you." He started towards the elevator when the woman called him back.

"Sir, you need a visitor pass."

He groaned and turned back to get the little placard, clipped it to his shirt, and headed for the elevator once again.

When he opened the door to Penny's room, he saw Brie sitting at her side. Phil swallowed hard and blinked a few times, wincing at the sight. His beautiful sister laid in a hospital bed, unconscious. Her face was covered in cuts, and there was an IV attached stuck in her hand. Her skin was paper white, and with her red hair, she looked more like Stephen's sister, than his. A small teddy bear with a light pink shirt that read, "Get well beary soon" was sitting on a small table next to the bed. "There you are! I was about to call you again. It's called emergency contact for a reason."

"Forgive me for sleeping!" he growled. She didn't say a word as Phil moved around to the side of the bed. He held Penny's IV-free hand tightly in his and knelt down beside her. "Is she going to be okay?"

Brie shrugged, "The doctor hasn't come back with the MRI results yet. They took x-rays though, she doesn't have any broken bones."

Phil nodded to let her know he'd heard.

A few minutes later, the doctor came in with a folder. Phil stood up, and turned to face him. "You must be the brother Miss Garcia was telling me about."

Phil nodded.

"I'm Dr. Reed. I have the results from the MRI. There isn't any internal damage, however, your sister has lost a lot of blood. The blood loss is what caused her to loose consciousness, so we've hooked her up to an IV, and we're giving her a blood transfusion."

"She'll be okay, though, right?"

Dr. Reed nodded, "I believe so."

There was a moment of silence before the doctor left, and and Phil turned back to his sister, taking a seat next to Brie. "How long have you been here?" he asked Brie.

"Since about three o'clock this morning."

"Jeez! Why don't you go back to the hotel and get some sleep."

She nodded, "When I come back, do you want me to bring anything for either of you."

Phil thought about it for a few minutes, "Yeah, I'm gonna stay with her tonight, so if you could bring me some extra clothes, that would be nice." He brushed some of the hair out of Penny's face, and said, "And bring a few things for her too." He handed Brie the key card for their room, and she left.

A nurse came in every hour or so to change the blood bag on the IV. At one point, she asked Phil if she could get him anything, but he refused. He didn't know what time it was when the doctor came back and asked to speak with him. He stood and joined him outside in the hall, "Mr. Brooks, it's come to my attention that we're out of your sister's blood type, and unless we can-"

Phil cut him off, "Out of it! How can you be out of it?"

"Sir, please calm down. It's a rare blood type, and we're doing everything we can to find a donor."

Phil leaned back against the wall, trying to keep his cool. "Can you test me for a match?"

"Of course."

Phil was taken into a smaller room by another nurse who drew his blood. An hour later, they had a match. The same nurse that had taken his blood, set up a transfusion.


	8. His Offer

**January 24, 2012**

Brie had brought Phil two bags the night before, filled with clothes for him and Penny, as well as toiletries he'd need while he stayed in the hospital with his sister.

Now the night had passed and Phil had barely slept. In the morning, a nurse had offered to have breakfast brought up to him from the cafeteria. Phil shook his head, "I'm fine."

"You really should eat something,"

He didn't say anything. She sighed and left the room, only to return 30 minutes later with an orange juice. "You should at least drink something. You've given a lot of blood."

Phil thanked her and she left.

As the day passed the nurse came in regularly to change Penny's IV bags. The doctor even came at one point to check her progress. Phil's co-workers stopped by to check on Penny and bring her flowers and balloons.

When evening came, there was a knock on the door, and Phil looked up. The door opened and Stu appeared. "How is she?" he asked.

Phil shrugged, "She lost a lot of blood, but there isn't any internal damage."

Stu walked around to the opposite side of the bed and sat a vase of red roses on the corner of the table. He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind Penny's ear before turning to look at Phil. "You look awful." Stu had noticed the paler complexion, and the bags under Phil's eyes were worse than normal.

"Thanks," Phil said.

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

Phil shook his head, "Not really. Maybe for an hour or so."

"You should go back to the hotel and get some rest."

"I can't leave her-" Phil started.

"I'll stay with her, and if she wakes up, I'll call you immediately."

Phil shook his head, "No. She needs blood. They don't have her type."

"It's okay, Phil. I do."

"You do?"

Stu nodded his head, "When we first got engaged she told me about her blood disorders. We got tests done to see what our blood types were, just in case there was ever a situation where she needed it. We were a match."

Phil stood, looking curiously at his ex-brother-in-law, "You'd still do that for her?"

Stu nodded again, "We may have gotten a divorce but you don't marry someone, and then suddenly just stop caring for them."

Phil smiled, "Thank you."

"It's not a problem."

"I'll have Brie and Nicky give me a ride back to the hotel when they come back with my dinner."

Stu offered him a comforting smile before taking a seat by the bed.


	9. His Condition

**January 25, 2012**

It was early in the morning. Stu hadn't been sleeping well in the chair next to Penny's bed. He woke up again. It was the fifth or sixth time, he checked the time on his phone. 6:25. He groaned and repositioned himself in the chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. He glanced at Penny. Her head was tilted more to the side than it had been the last time he woke up. He leaned forward and looked at her, hair had fallen in front of her face so he reached out and brushed it away. A soft sigh escaped her. "Penny?" he whispered.

He thought he seen movement behind her eyelids. Stu scooted his chair closer. "Penny?" he said a little bit louder. She made another sound. He reached out and grabbed her hand, "Penny, if you can hear me, please wake up."

Her face scrunched up for a few minutes. She was fighting him. She wanted to sleep.

"Please Penny," he pleaded.

She yawned before slowly opening her eyes. She blinked a few times, looking at him in the shadowy darkness. Moon and street lights shined into the room, giving her just enough light to make out his face. "Stu?" she asked, her voice low and hoarse.

"Penny!" he breathed a sigh of relief, smiling.

"What happened?" she asked, her memory of the car accident foggy. She could still hear the screech of the tires and the shatter of glass, but she couldn't remember exactly what had happened.

"You don't remember?"

She turned her head slightly before saying, "No, not really."

Stu recapped what he'd seen on the news and what Brie had told him.

"Where is Phil?"

"I sent him back to the hotel. He was a mess. He hadn't slept right and had given you a lot of blood."

"Then you..." she paused, glancing at the IV and the different bags hanging on the stand. Then she glanced at the spot on Stu's arm that was covered with a piece of gauze and a band-aid. "Then you gave me..."

Stu nodded.

"Why?"

"Because you needed it. The hospital didn't have your blood type."

"You'd still do that for me?" a small smile spread across her lips.

"Of course. I still care about you."

They sat in silence for a few minutes then he said, "I'll go get a nurse, let them know you woke up. Then I'll call Phil."

She nodded, "Okay."

Stu got the nurse, who quickly rushed into the room to check on Penny. Stu stayed in the hall for a moment to call Phil. No answer, of course, Phil was asleep, so Stu left a message.

When Stu was walked back into the room, the nurse was helping Penny back to the bed, "Where's Tate Rossi?" she asked.

The nurse took a moment to think, "The gentleman you were brought in with? Um, he's in the CCU. I'll make a note for the day nurse, and when his doctor comes in, we'll have him come talk to you."

Penny nodded in understanding and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I'll go have them bring you something to eat from the cafeteria," the nurse turned to Stu, "Do you want anything?"

He shook his head.

At eight o'clock, a doctor walked into the room, "Ms. Brooks?" Penny looked up. "I'm Dr. Reed. I'm going to run a few tests, you should be released no later than tomorrow morning."

She smiled and waited. He checked her blood pressure, and everything else that was a part of protocol. Stu sat silently and watched. When the doctor left, Penny had him help her out of the bed, "What are you doing?" he asked, watching her put on the long, beige coat.

"I want to see Tate. If my doctor is here now, his should be too." Stu followed her out of the room. The nurses were busy, and didn't even notice the two walk down the hall, using the signs to find their way to the CCU.

"Penny, I'm not sure this is a good idea," Stu said, trying to talk her into going back to her room.

"I don't care. I need to see him."

Stu sighed, and followed after her. She was as stubborn as her brother, and the last thing he wanted was to make a scene by picking her up and carrying her back to her room.

They got to the large double doors with **Critical Care Unit** printed across the top. Penny opened them and walked right up to the nurse's station. "I want to see Tate Rossi."

"And your relation is?"

"I'm his girlfriend."

"I'm sorry miss," said the nurse shaking her head. "Family only."

"Family only!" Penny's voice was louder than it needed to be. "Do you realize that the man's entire family is on another continent? I doubt they even know what's happened! I am the _only _person here that he knows, now either you allow me to see him and tell me which room he's in, or I will find him myself."

The nurse was at a loss for words, unsure of how to reply. "Penny, I think we should go back," Stu told her.

She ignored him.

"Fine! If you won't tell me, I'll find him myself." She turned, and started walking towards the closest door.

"Wait!" The nurse called to her. "Please, wait! Let me go talk to his doctor, I'll be right back.

The nurse hurried away and returned ten minutes later with a woman in a white lab coat. She looked like she was in her late forties. Her light brown hair had bits of gray through it, and was pulled back into a low ponytail. She wore glasses, and smiled sweetly upon seeing Penny.

She shook Penny's hand, saying, "I'm Dr. Carington, your boyfriend is in room 3, before you go in there, I just wanted to warn you about his condition. His legs were crushed, so they're in casts, his left arm is in a sling, his elbow was dislocated. He broke three ribs, and punctured one of his lungs, so he looks pretty bad. It's up to you if you still want to see him, I'm just warning you."

Penny nodded and thanked the woman for allowing her to see Tate. She opened the door marked '3', and could hear the beeping and whirring of machinery before she even seen anything.

Her breath caught in her throat and she covered her mouth upon seeing him. She blinked numerous times, trying to keep from crying. He was hooked up to machines she didn't even recognize. The only thing she could do at the moment was turn away. She wrapped her arms around Stu, burying her face into his chest, she cried. He held her. He rubbed her back with one hand, and smoothed the back of her hair with the other. He kissed the top of Penny's hair, "It's okay," he whispered. "It'll be okay."

Penny pulled away from Stu and turned to Tate once more. She walked along the edge of the bed, she knelt at Tate's side, and took his right hand in hers. "Oh, Tate," she whispered, "I'm so sorry."

His perfect, tanned face was marred with scars and bandages from where he'd been cut by glass. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again.

Stu walked over to her, standing behind her, he comfortingly gripped her shoulder. "It'll be okay," he told her again, his voice low.

She stood up and looked at him, "No, it won't be. Look at him!"

Stu pushed the hair out of her face, and held it, wiping the tears with his thumbs, "Look at me," he said, bending so they were eye level, "Everything will be alright. He will be okay. You will get through this."

She pulled away and turned back to Tate. She carefully tucked his hair behind his ears. The heart rate monitor started to beep louder, faster. Penny's eyes widen. "Why is it doing that? Make it stop!" she started to fret. Two nurses, the one from the nurse's station, and one Penny didn't recognize, rushed into the room.

They hovered over Tate, tending to him, "Get Dr. Carington!" the one from the nurse's station shouted, "And get them out of here!" She glared at Penny and Stu, and they were quickly ushered out of the room.

Penny and Stu waited outside of Tate's door, Penny paced back and forth, muttering, "It's my fault. It's all my fault," over and over.

Finally, Stu grabbed her by the shoulders, "It is not your fault. Everything will be okay. It'll be fine."

"It's my fault," she muttered again.

He held her face, tilting it up to look at him, "It is not your fault! You had no idea this was going to happen. It's some douchebag's fault. You didn't drive a car into him, a drunk did! It is not your fault."

More tears started to fall from Penny's eyes, and heavy sobs escaped. He held her close to him and they waited.


	10. His Funeral

**January 29, 2012**

Penny stood, staring, not really seeing. Phil had his arm around her, supporting her, comforting her. Tate's mom stood next to them. She noticed the tears in Penny's eyes, and she reached over, taking her hand and holding it tightly. They watched as the coffin was slowly lowered into the ground. The priest spoke, but Penny didn't hear him, all she could focus on was Tate.

When it was over, and people started to turn away, Penny hugged the elderly woman standing next to her. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"Don't worry yourself, it's not your fault. No one here blames you."

"But, if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't of even been there."

Bianca Rossi shook her head, "We're all sad, it's a miserable day. But you shouldn't beat yourself up for it. You had no control over the situation." She paused, "Why don't you and your brother come back to our house. Many our friends have brought us food, you should join us for dinner."

Penny glanced up at Phil, then nodded, "We'll be there." She smiled weakly, and Bianca turned to walk away with her husband.

Penny turned to look at Tate's grave one more time. She took a deep breath and walked over to the head of the grave. There wasn't a headstone yet, so she marked the spot with the blood red rose she'd been holding.

She stood up and Phil wrapped his arms around her, "I'm sorry," he whispered. "You shouldn't have to feel this way. You're my baby sister, I'm supposed to protect you."

The tears welled up in Penny's eyes again, "You can't protect me from everything."

"I can try."

**January 30, 2012**

Penny was curled up in a ball asleep on the couch in the breakroom, her head rested on Phil's thigh. Phil's head was tilted back against the top of the couch, asleep as well. They had gotten up early that morning to fly back to the US from Italy, and neither of them had slept well the night before. Now they had RAW.

The door opened, then closed, stirring Phil from his light, unrestful sleep. He blinked a few times, and looked over at Drew, who had just walked in. Drew glanced at Penny, then Phil, "How is she?" he asked.

Phil shrugged, "Physically, she's okay, but she keeps berating herself for what happened. Everyone has tried to tell her it's not her fault, but she doesn't listen." Phil paused. "She seems fine, but she has these moments where she'll stop and just start crying."

Drew shook his head solemnly. "Is she still going to wrestle tonight?"

Phil shrugged, "We haven't talked about it."

The door opened again, John Laurinaitis walked in.

"Penny!" he said, loud enough for her to jerk awake. Stunned for a moment, she looked around, blinking before finally looking at Laurinaitis. "We need to talk about your match tonight. Or should I say, the match you're not having. I'm postponing it until further notice."

She stood up, a little groggy at first. "You can't do that."

"I can. In case you've forgotten, you spent most of this past week in the hospital. You are in no condition to wrestle."

"I am! The doctors cleared me for it. I didn't have a concussion or any major injuries. I deserve this match, you can't take it from me."

Laurinaitis sighed, "What if you get sent back to the hospital? You're really willing to risk your health for a belt?"

"Are you stupid? We all risk our health every night. I am wrestling Beth tonight, whether you like it or not, and I will win!"

**1 hour, 30 minutes later**

Beth had just hit Penny with the Glam Slam. She was pinned, she was done. She heard the referee lower himself to start the count. His hand came down, "1..."

That's when it started, "Penny!...Penny!...Penny!...Penny!..."

"2..."

She seen Tate's face in her mind, smiling at her. Encouraging her. The crowd kept chanting. She opened her eyes, the ref's hand was coming down. With all the strength she had, she brought her shoulders up, breaking out of the pin, the ref stood up. Beth followed, pissed that he hadn't finished the three count.

Penny got to her feet, and nailed Beth with a reverse bulldog, bringing her back into the match. She grabbed Beth, again, by the head, and delivered a kneeling face buster. She kept going, move after move. Pushing herself, driving herself to win. She had to. If she didn't, then everything that had happened would be for nothing. She finally finished it off with the Sunset Flip Powerbomb, pinning Beth.

She listened to the roar of the crowd, it was all she heard, "1...2..." The ref was about to call it. It was almost over. Penny was going to be the new Diva's Champion.

Beth kicked out.

Slightly infuriated, Penny got to her feet, dragging Beth with her. She nailed a frontflip pile driver, pinned her again. She closed her eyes, she blocked out the sound. The bell rang. The crowd cheered even louder, "The winner of this match, and the new Divas Champion, Penny Brooks!"

She stood, "Bad Reputation" blared through the arena as the belt was handed to her, and her arm was raised. She grinned as the tears began to fall from her eyes. She climbed the turnbuckle, posing for the world, the belt held proudly above her head. She brought it down, holding it in one hand, she looked to the sky, "This one's for you, Tate!" she shouted.

Penny jumped down. The smile still on her face as the tears streaked her face. She high-fived and hugged fans on her way back up the ramp. Everyone smiled and patted her on the back, randomly throwing out "Congratulations!" and "I love you, Penny!"

When she slipped behind the curtain, she was bombarded by Phil and all her friends. They were all smiling, congratulating her. Their words were lost to her ears. Drew picked her up, hugging her, spinning her around. "You were great out there!" he told her.

"Where did those moves come from?" asked Nikki, "I've never seen you do those things."

She shrugged.

Phil grinned, "That's my baby sister." He wiped the tears from her face. "You're amazing!"

"The best in the world," she joked.


	11. Their Suspicions

**February 13, 2012**

In the weeks that followed, Penny was distant. All of her free time was spent at the gym. Someone was always with her though. They never heard her say it anymore, but they suspected her of continuing to blame herself for what had happened to Tate. Worried about her mental health, Phil had decided that someone should be with her at all times. She didn't talk much though, not even to Brie, who she considered her best friend.

Instead, Penny had seemed to gravitate more towards Drew. Perhaps it was because they were both divorced that she felt a connection to him, but no one really knew for sure.

Everyone had arrived at the arena where RAW was to be at that night. Most of the Superstars and Divas were in their locker rooms preparring for the show while the crew ran around getting everything in place before the doors were opened.

Penny sat in the green room, with Drew. They sat close to each other, reading the same book. Stu walked in, and at first was taken back by the sight. Penny didn't seem to notice him enter the room. Drew glanced up for a moment, gave him a friendly smile, then his eyes darted back down to the page he was reading.

Penny picked up the corner of the page, "I'm not done yet," Drew told her. She waited, and after a few seconds, he said, "Okay."

She turned the page, and a minute or so later, he said "Okay," again. She was obviously reading faster than him, but wasn't bothered by it.

Stu was uncomfortable sitting near them, watching them. Just as he was about to leave, Penny rose from the couch, placing a bookmark in the book. "I have to go get ready for the show. We can read the next chapter later."

Drew nodded.

Penny offered Stu a half-smile as she left the room, but no more was said.

Once the door was shut, and Stu was certain Penny was gone, he looked at the man he considered a good friend, and asked, "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"You and Penny! You're always together, you sit up against each other, you're reading the same damn book for Christ's sake!"

"Nothing's going on between us if that's what you think. She's just...hurting. I'm just being a friend."

Stu narrowed his eyes at him, "Just a friend? Really?"

Drew nodded, "Yes, really." Drew paused, "Why do you care anyways? You're not with her anymore."

**45 minutes later**

Penny stood at the curtain in the gorilla position. She was waiting for the commercial break to end. In the mean time, crew members were setting the stage for an important announcement she was making.

The week before, Beth had taken advantage of her rematch clause, but lost. Something had gotten into Penny since the match where she won the Diva's Championship. She wasn't quite sure what it was. It was as if a new fire had been lit inside her, a new desire.

Finally, Joan Jett was blared over the loudspeakers, and she made her way to the ring, the Diva's Championship belt carried proudly over her shoulder.

She climbed through the ropes into the ring, smoothing the front of her dress as she straightened. She took a microphone from the stagehand before turning to face the main camera. A mixture of negative and positive screams erupted from the crowd as she pulled the microphone up to speak into it.

She smirked and rolled her eyes, waiting for the crowd to calm down. With her new in-ring behavior, she was an established heel, but most people felt sorry for her. They had read about her car accident, read about Tate. It was sympathy cheers, and she hated them for it.

"Tonight, I will start a new era in the Diva's division. The Diva's division, quite frankly, is currently pathetic! Glorified models not having to actually earn a damn thing. They're insults to the women who stepped in the ring before us, like Lita, Ivory, Chyna, and various others. Women like Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox have given women's wrestling a bad name. They've insulted wrestling in general, and have made this 'championship' completely meaningless. That's why, as of tonight, I'm destroying it."

She pulled a black cloth off of the tin trashcan that was standing a foot or so from a covered podium. She pulled a bottle of lighter fluid from the trash can before dropping the cloth in it, then she dropped the belt on top of it. She soaked it in the lighter fluid before picking up a pack of matches off the podium. She lit one, and dropped it in the trash can.

There was another mixture of boos and applause as the belt burned. She smiled. Before she could continue with her bit, Natalya's music started. She climbed into the ring, microphone already in hand, "What the hell do you think you're doing? We made an agreement."

Penny laughed, a wicked smile curved on her lips. "I haven't forgotten. I just wanted our match to actually mean something. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Penny walked over to the podium, placing her hand on the cloth that covered the top of it. "I would like to re-introduce to the WWE Universe," she pulled away the cloth, "The Women's Championship! It hasn't been tainted by filth." She picked it up and placed it over her shoulder. "With the help of Natalya, and a select few others, we will begin rebuilding the Diva's division. We'll make it worth watching again. Eliminating the weak and the ones that don't belong here, and helping those who do reach their fullest potential."

Penny looked expectantly at Natalya. "I'm impressed," she told her, "I didn't see this one coming."

Penny smiled, and left the ring, new belt in hand.

**February 14, 2012**

It was two in the morning when the hotel room door opened. The light from the hall way shined across Phil's face, stirring him from the light sleep he was in. He squinted at the light to see Penny's silhouette in the doorway, taking off her stilettos. "Penny?"

"Yeah, it's me," he voice was low.

"What time is it?"

"Late. Go back to sleep."

"Where've you been?"

"Out." She was in the darkness now, having shut and locked the door now. Phil didn't bother to pry, he knew she wouldn't tell. There was a thud, and his bed shook slightly, "Ow!"

"What did you do?"

"I walked into the bed, what do you think?"

He didn't say anything. He felt the mattress sink slightly to his left. "You're in my bed," he groaned.

"So!" She crawled up beside her brother and laid down. "It can be like when we were kids again. When I'd have a nightmare, and sleep with you. Remember?"

"Yeah, except back then you never woke me up. I wouldn't know you were in my bed until I woke up the next morning to find you laying next to me."

Penny ignored him, and he turned, his back to her.

A few minutes later, Penny whispered in the darkness, "Phillip?"

"Yes, Penelope?"

"You'll always love me, no matter what, right?"

"Of course! You're my baby sister. Why would you think otherwise?"

She ignored his question, and continued, "Even if I did something really horrible?"

"I'd love you no matter what. Mom would kill me otherwise."

She smiled and closed her eyes. Phil waited a few seconds to see if she'd elaborate on why she was asking these questions, but she didn't. Phil started to wonder.


	12. Their Feeling

**February 21, 2012**

It was just a little after midnight. Stu hadn't fallen asleep yet. Instead, he sat on his hotel bed, the small lamp on, reading a book. The TV was on, but it was just background noise. He didn't actually know what was going on in the rerun of _The Office._

There was a quick, frantic knock at the door. The expression on Stu's face turned to one of nervousness and suspicion. He sat the book down on the table and answered the door, shocked at what he seen on the other side. Penny was leaning against the wall, her stilettos in her hand. One of the heels was broken. Her make up was smeared, and her hair had fallen from the updo it had been twisted into when she left the arena. Her dress was wrinkled and disheveled. Somehow, Brie and Nikki had talked her into going out with them, looks like it had been a bad idea.

"Penny! What happened? Are you okay?" Stu asked, ushering her into his room. She fell on his bed, dropping her shoes on the floor. Tears started to form in her eyes.

"I messed up," her words were barely a whisper. "I let it get to me, I let it all get to me."

Stu knelt down in front of her, "What are you talking about?"

"Everything that happened, it was too much. Phil will be so disappointed."

Stu put his hands on her upper arms, "It's okay," he told her. "Why don't you tell me what happened."

Penny took a deep breath and explained about the break down she'd had at the club Brie and Nikki took her to. How seeing them happy, dancing with their boyfriends, she broke down. It was supposed to have been a girl's night, but Daniel and Nick had surprised them, not knowing that they weren't supposed to be there. So Penny drank, and drank, and drank, until she couldn't see straight. Brie had offered to take her back to the hotel, but she told her to stay and have fun. She called a cab, and went outside. Some other drunk was out there, started hitting on her. She told him to leave her alone, but he got all grabby. She kicked him in the nuts right as the cab pulled up, and she went straight to Stu's room upon arriving at the hotel.

She started to cry, so held her. She sobbed into his shoulder while he rubbed her back and smoothed her hair. "You can stay here tonight." He wrinkled his nose at the smell of alcohol. "Why don't you go take a shower, do you need anything?"

She pulled away and thought for a minute, "Will you go get me some Gatorade?"

"Lemon-Lime?" he asked, remembering it was her favorite flavor.

She nodded.

"Of course."

He helped her to her feet and she walked into the bathroom. He grabbed a pair of basketball shorts and one of his 'Wade Barrett' t-shirts for her to wear. He knocked on the bathroom door right as the shower turned on. "You can come in," she called.

He opened the door and sat the clothes down on the counter, "You can wear these," he told her, before opening a little bag that was on the counter. He pulled out a hairbrush and a toothbrush. "And you can use these. I haven't used the toothbrush yet. I'll just get another one."

She smiled weakly, "Thank you."

He returned the smile, "I'll be right back with your Gatorade."

Stu left, shutting the door behind him, so Penny stripped down, and stepped into the shower.

Stu took the elevator down to the lobby where he'd seen the different vending machines. He walked over to them and was disappointed to see that they didn't have any Gatorade.

He walked outside to his rental car, and drove a couple of blocks to the little gas station down the road. As he drove, he thought back to the last time Penny had been sick, or at least, the last time she had been sick while they were married.

_She had gotten food poisoning, and he was up all night taking care of her. She'd asked for lemon-lime Gatorade, but he brought back Poweraid instead. They spent 30 minutes arguing about it. She didn't Poweraid, claimed it gave her cotton mouth and made her extremely thirsty. He told her they were out of the Gatorade. She was in the middle of her sentence when she clamped her hand over her mouth and ran to the bathroom to vomit again. So he had to drive 30 minutes out of the way to a Wal-Mart and bought a case of lemon-lime Gatorade. When he got home, she thanked him for it, and kissed his cheek._

Stu supressed the memory. This time there'd be no kiss on the cheek. He was just helping a friend.

When Stu returned to his hotel room, the shower had been turned off, but Penny wasn't in the room. He noticed the bathroom light shining under the door, so he knocked, "Penny, I got the Gatorade for you." He paused, waiting for a reply that didn't come. "Penny, is everything okay in there?" Still no reply.

He pushed the door open to see her sitting on the floor in front of the toilet. She was using her arm as a pillow on the side of the tub. He sat the Gatorade down and scooped her up off the floor. She stirred a little bit as he carried her to the bed. Her eyelids fluttered, "Stu?" she whispered.

"Shhhh, it's okay." He gently laid her on the bed, and turned the TV off.

He put the bottle of Gatorade on the bedside table next to her, and turned off the light before sitting down in the armchair. He attempted to get comfortable.

Penny was awake now, and after the light went out, she had been expecting to feel the mattress sink behind her as Stu climbed into bed, but it didn't sink. He wasn't sleeping next to her. She rolled over in the bed, facing him in the dark. "Stu?"

"Yes, Penny?"

"Where are you?"

"In the chair."

There was a pause, "Won't you sleep with me tonight? I don't want to be alone."

"You're not alone, I'm here with you."

"Please, Stu?" there was a hint of desperation in her plea. He couldn't refuse her. He had never been able to refuse her.

Wordlessly, he rose from the chair, and felt his way in the dark, careful not to bang his leg on the bedframe. He laid down on the bed, pulling the comforter over him. Penny found him in the dark, curling up against him.

_Keep your cool, Stu,_ he told himself. _This doesn't mean anything._ One small tear managed to escape, and he mentally berated himself for it. He still loved Penny, so much. And this only brought everything back. All the memories he tried to forget, their late nights together, the cuddling, the jokes, the kisses and hand-holding, it all flooded back, breaking the mental dam he had built the day she walked out the door.

When Penny woke up in the morning, she was wrapped tight in Stu's arms. Her arms were around him as well, her head had been tucked into the crook of his arm, and their legs were intertwined. She closed her eyes, pretending she was still asleep. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe again. She didn't want to lose that feeling.

Stu stirred, starting to wake up. His hand drifted across Penny's stomach for a second. He realized he and Penny were cuddling, and he opened his eyes. She was still asleep. He quickly closed his eyes, not wanting to let go of that feeling, not yet.

Penny moved her arm around him, trying to be as close as possible. Stu tightened his grip on her, holding her. Both of them awake, but neither of them knew the other one was too.


	13. Her Mistake

_**Author's Note: **__Before I get started, I'd like to thank MarryTheNight25, xj0j0x, wertzy, CassieTheNinja, and charmedbyortonbarrett for all the lovely comments/reviews. It's great to know that you guys like my story so much!_

**February 22, 2012**

It was early in the morning when Phil woke up. He could smell the bacon through the vent above his bedroom door. He got up and walked into the kitchen to see Penny cooking. A large stack of pancakes sat on a plate on the counter, steam wafting from it. "What are you doing?" he asked, dumbly, as if he couldn't figure it out.

Penny ignored the question, "Breakfast is almost ready. Will you get two more plates out of the cabinet for me?"

He nodded and got the plates while she placed the bacon on another napkin-covered plate. "It smells good," he told her, sliding pancakes onto each plate.

She smiled and grabbed two glasses out of the cabinet.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked.

She shrugged, "I don't know. It just kind of hit me yesterday that what has already happened is unchangeable. There's nothing I can do about it other than to move on."

He raised an eyebrow, looking at his sister as she reached inside the fridge to get the orange juice. "Really? Are you sure Stu didn't have something to do with it?"

She didn't answer right away, pretending to be preoccupied with shaking the orange juice up before pouring it in their glasses. "Why would Stu have anything to do with it?"

Phil shrugged, "I don't know. I just..." he trailed off, trying to find the right way to put it. He grabbed the plate of bacon before saying, "All this time after you and him divorced, and not once have you worn one of his shirts. Then yesterday morning you have on a Wade Barrett shirt."

Penny shrugged, brushing it off like it was nothing. She hadn't told Phil about her emotional breakdown that led her to drink, and she didn't plan to. "I didn't do laundry last week, it was at the bottom of my drawer, and I just put it in my bag. I didn't even notice it was one of his."

He looked suspiciously at her as she picked up the glasses and walked over to the breakfast table, sitting them down at their usual spots. Phil joined her, carrying the plates. She grabbed the pancake syrup off the counter before sitting down to enjoy her breakfast.

She had a busy day planned. She had to go to the gym, then she needed to get her hair redone, and then wash laundry. She only had two days off this week, and she wanted to get all of her chores and errands done with so she could relax and enjoy the next day.

**March 5, 2012**

In the few days that followed, Stu and Penny avoided each other when they could. After the night they had spent together, neither of them were sure how to act around the other one. Stu thought Penny wasn't _in _love with him, and Penny was just flat-out confused.

She had brightened up more and more each day though. She was becoming herself again. She even shared her secret with Brie as they sat in the locker room getting dressed for the show. After defeating Natalya, John Laurinaitis decided to have a Diva's Battle Royal to decide the new number one contender for Penny's championship.

"Oh my gosh!" Brie squealed as Penny wrapped up the story by telling her about waking up in Stu's arms and how he had tightened his arms around her when she moved. "That's so romantic!"

Penny shook her head, "It's not romantic. I just...he just..." she trailed off, trying to figure it out. "It was just a subconscious reaction. It had nothing to do with the fact that it was me."

"Maybe he was only pretending to be asleep. Maybe he's still in love with you, and he wasn't ready to let go of you again."

Penny rolled her eyes, "After this long, I don't see how he could still love me."

Now it was Brie's turn to roll her eyes, "Oh, Penny! Can't you see it's like a great Shakespeare romance. You and Stu are just young, star-crossed lovers!"

"He's in his thirties, he's not young anymore," Penny joked. "Besides, doesn't everyone die in Shakespeare's plays?"

"I don't know, I've only read Hamlet, MacBeth, and Romeo & Juliet."

Penny rolled her eyes and let a small chuckle escape.

"Okay, fine then! It's like a Disney movie! He's your prince, but you won't discover that it's him 'til chapter three!"

Penny couldn't help but laugh at Brie for quoting Beauty and the Beast, particularly that line. But Brie had chosen it intentionally, because Beauty and the Beast was Penny's favorite. "Stu's more of a Gaston anyways."

Brie shook her head, "No, Wade Barrett is like Gaston, Stu's more like the Beast...after he saves Belle from the wolves."

There was a pause, an almost awkward silence filled the room. Then in a low voice, Penny said, "He was perfect, wasn't he?"

Brie didn't say anything. She just stared contemplatively at her friend. They both knew Penny had made a mistake.


	14. Their Plan

**March 12, 2012**

Penny, Brie, and Nikki stood at the gorilla position, waiting for the commercial break to end so the match could get started. Nikki had won the battle royal the week before, and now she was getting a shot at Penny's title.

"Don't go easy on me," Penny told her, warming up.

Nikki smiled, "Don't worry, I don't plan to."

"Good."

'You Can Look (But You Can't Touch)' started, and the Bellas made their entrance. Penny secured her championship belt around her waist and waited.

"I don't give a damn about my bad reputation!" blared throughout the arena. She walked through the curtain and posed at the top of the ramp. The music stopped at "I've never been afraid of any deviation," when Penny jumped down off the turnbuckle and handed the belt to the referee.

The match began. Nikki was able to quickly take control of the match, exploiting Penny's weaknesses and countering her moves, considering she knew her so well. Penny countered Nikki's monkey flip though, taking control, and beginning her domination of the match. After delivering a Sunset Flip Powerbomb to Nikki, Penny pinned her. Nikki got her shoulders up though. Penny yelled at the referee, certain it should've been a three-count, so Nikki and Brie took the opportunity to do their 'Twin Magic'.

Angry, Penny turned around, not knowing Nikki and Brie had switched. She started to move towards Brie, but stopped and took a step back. "Really, Brie? You thought that would work on me?"

"Damn it!" Brie said, getting to her feet.

Penny shook her head. "I know you two too well."

Realizing what had happened, the ref forced Brie out of the ring and Nikki climbed back in. "You can't blame a girl for trying, right?" Nikki smiled.

Penny grinned and shrugged before continuing the match, which she won after delivering a front-flip piledriver.

The Bellas headed backstage while Penny stood on the top rope, her championship held high over her head. When Penny made it to the back, Nikki and Brie threw their arms around her. "That was a good match," Nikki said.

Penny nodded in agreement.

"You know I'm not giving up that easy though, right?"

Penny grinned, "I'd be honored to feud with you."

**3 Hours Later**

Brie and Nikki had finally talked Penny into talking to Stu. So, Penny took a deep breath, and knocked on his hotel door. She heard some noise on the otherside of the door before it opened, and Stu appeared, standing there with only a pair of basketball shorts on. "Penny! Are you okay?" It was the first time he'd actually seen her since the night they spent together.

"Yeah, I just-" Penny broke off when she seen Alicia sitting on the bed behind Stu, an oversized Wade Barrett t-shirt and a pair of short black shorts on. Penny shook her head, "You know what, it was nothing. You're busy, I'll talk to you later."

She turned and hurried down the hall. "Penny!" Stu ran after her. She was trying her best to not let the tears fall. "Penny." He gently grabbed her upper arm, turning her around to face him, "What's wrong."

"Nothing." Her voice cracked slightly. "I just wanted to tell you thanks for being there for me that one night. I haven't gotten a chance to tell you properly and I didn't want you to think I didn't appreciate what you did."

"You're welcome." He paused. "Look, if you ever need anything, you know I'm here for you. I still care about you."

Penny nodded, refusing to look him in the eyes, knowing that if she did, she'd fall apart. "You can let go of me now."

Stu did. He looked at her for a few seconds before walking back down to his room. She turned, her back to him. When he got to his door, he looked at her standing there, he wanted to say something, but he knew anything he said at this point would be on deaf ears. Penny finally moved, walking down the hall. Stu took a deep breath and went back inside his room.

Penny didn't pay any attention to where she was going. She just walked. Tears fell from her eyes. She had finally realized she made a mistake, and she was willing to put her heart on her sleeve, and try to get Stu back. But it was all useless. Stu had moved on. Why did she let Brie and Nikki talk her into this? Penny turned the corner, walking into Drew. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"It's okay. Penny, what's wrong?"

She shook her head.

"Penny, you know you can talk to me."

"I just...I..." She was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say.

Dreew was patient.

Finally, she said, "I still love him. I thought he loved me too, but I was wrong. He's moved on, and I'm an idiot." She burst into tears again, and Drew pulled her into his arms. Her head rested against his chest as she stood there, sobbing.

He rubbed her back, "You're not an idiot. Stu's the idiot."

"No, he's not. After all, I'm the one that left him. I'm surprised he waited this long to be with someone else. It's just like that one song, you don't know what you've got, 'til it's gone."

Drew took a deep breath. "You'll just have to win him back."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

Drew thought for a minute, "I don't know."

"You're about as useful as Nikki and Brie."

Drew turned so that he was standing next to her, his arm still around her shoulders. "Come on, I'll walk you back to your room so you don't walk into someone else."

Penny smiled, "Actually, I think I'm going to stay with Nikki and Brie tonight. I don't really want to be around Phil like this."

"Alright."

Brie and Nikki ushered Penny into their room and the three said goodbye to Drew. Penny explained what had happened, and after a few minutes of silence, Brie said, "Well, you'll have to make him want you. Make him jealous."

"That doesn't sound like a good idea," Penny objected.

"Nonsense."

"Brie, maybe you should stop coming up with the ideas. Look where it's gotten her."

"Hey, it's not my fault he's with someone else! I didn't tell him to get with Alicia, nor did I tell Alicia to get with Stu. All I did is say talk to him, and if I remember correctly, you agreed."

Nikki rolled her eyes, but didn't say a word.


	15. Their Fraud

**March 16, 2012**

Penny stood against the counter in the green room at the arena eating a slice of the left-over pizza from when she had gone to lunch with Brie, Nikki, Daniel, Nick, and Drew. Stu, Alicia, Heath, Eve, and Drew were also in the room, waiting for the house show to start. Ranch dressing dripped down from the corner of her mouth as she took a bite and Drew chuckled, teasing her, and getting Stu's attention, he said, "That's a good look for you."

As Penny wiped it away with her napkin, she raised her middle finger at him.

He grinned, "When and where?"

Penny rolled her eyes and threw her trash away. "I have to go get ready," she said, before kissing his cheek and exiting the room.

Brie was waiting on the other side of the door, "Well?" she prompted, "Is it working? Is Stu getting jealous?"

Penny shrugged, "I don't know. He certainly noticed though."

"It's just a matter of time before he's doing anything he can to win you back."

"I'm really not sure about this. It just doesn't seem like a good idea to me."

"Nonsense."

**March 21, 2012**

In the week that followed, whenever they weren't alone, Drew and Penny did whatever they could to make it seem like they were a real couple, especially whenever Stu was around. Even Phil believed his sister had moved on. "So, you and Drew are really together?" he asked, while they made dinner.

Penny paused for a moment before turning to look at her brother, "Is that a problem?"

Phil shrugged, "No, I guess not."

"Good."

"What is it with you and foreigners anyways?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"First Stu, then Tate, now Drew. Who's next, Stephen or Justin?"

Penny chuckled, "I don't know. Maybe it's the accents."

There were a few minutes of silence, the only sound was the boiling water for the fettuccine noodles. Then, Phil said, "Did you know Stu and Alicia are dating?" Penny dropped the cup she was washing. Phil turned to look at her, suspicious. "Is everything okay?"

Penny nodded, "It slipped. I'm fine. How'd you find out they were dating?"

"I seen them holding hands, and Alicia was being all touchy girlfriendy to him."

"Oh."

"You don't care though, right? I mean, you and Drew are dating. And it's been how long now? You've both moved on."

"Right. You're right." Penny smiled, taking a deep breath. Phil smiled back.

Maybe Phil didn't believe she and Drew were a couple after all.

_**Author's Note:**__ Can someone let me know if it's just me, or is Chapter 14: Their Plan, not working? Every time I try to view it in anything other than the live preview it's not there._


	16. Their Talks

**March 30, 2012**

Penny walked out to the hotel resort's pool where all her friends were currently lounging in what was left of the sun. They'd had a long day at WrestleMania Fan Axxess, and now everyone was relaxing on the eve of the biggest show of the year. Penny dropped her towel onto the empty chair that was next to Drew. He nodded in the direction behind her, and she turned just enough to see Stu and Alicia walking along the opposite side of the pool to two empty sun chairs.

Penny sat down to take her sandals off and Drew turned more to face her, their ruse beginning once more. "How's the water?" Penny asked.

Drew shrugged, "I haven't been in it."

They chatted idly, laughing and smiling, trying to be flirty with each other. After awhile, they seen Alicia coax Stu into getting in the pool with her. A few more minutes later, Drew stood and walked to the edge of the pool. He knelt down to feel the water. When he stood back up, Penny pushed him. He turned just enough to grab her wrist and pull her in with him.

Penny screamed at the shock of being grabbed, and the chill of the water touching her skin. When she resurfaced, treading water, Drew stood there laughing as she gasped for air. "That wasn't funny!" she shouted, splashing water at his face.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him, "Of course it was." She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to the man who was over a foot taller than her while she caught her breath. He smoothed down her hair and whispered in her ear, "We have an audience."

With her peripheral vision she seen Stu watching them. Alicia was completely oblivious to him not watching her. "Wasn't that the point of this?" she asked.

He smiled.

"Do you think he's jealous?"

"It would seem so, as much as he watches us." There was silence for a few minutes, then Drew said, "Kiss me."

"What?"

"As long as you've been clinging to me, it would make sense if you did. Besides, he's still watching."

Penny shrugged and closed the small gap between her and Drew, pressing her lips to his, they kissed. She closed her eyes, pretending it was Stu, and made the kiss as real as possible. When Drew pulled away, Stu was gone.

**April 2, 2012**

After two nights of successful title defenses, Penny and her friends went out to celebrate after RAW. Drew sat at a table near the dance floor while Penny, Nikki, and Brie danced to whichever Rihanna song was currently blaring over the loudspeakers He noticed Stu and Alicia walk in. Were they following him and Penny? All weekend, they had appeared pretty much everywhere he and Penny went.

He watched as Alicia turned, touching Stu's arm she said something to him and he nodded before she ran off in the direction of the restrooms. Stu spotted Drew sitting at the table, and they made eye contact. Drew smiled, and Stu started walking in his direction. "Mind if I sit?" Stu asked.

Drew shook his head, "Of course not."

Stu sat, it was a few minutes before either one said anything to the other. They had been close friends for a very long time, in fact, Drew had been the best man at Stu and Penny's wedding. But now, they rarely actually did anything together. Sure, they worked together. They seen each other almost every day. But did they say anything more than 'hi' when they'd pass each other in the halls or the locker rooms? No.

"So...you and Penny?" Stu finally asked? He'd been wanting to ask for so long, but always talked himself out of it.

"Yeah, me and Penny." Drew wasn't really sure how to reply. Of course he wanted to tell his best friend it wasn't real. He wanted to tell him Penny loved him. He wanted to tell him to go dance with her, to kiss her, to love her again. But he didn't. Stu was happy with Alicia, and he couldn't hurt and embarass Penny like that.

"How'd that happen?"

He shook his head and shrugged, "I'm not really sure. I guess..." he paused trying to figure something out, something believable, something that would go along with what Nikki and Brie had concocted. "I guess we just kind of got really close after what happened," he told him, referring to the car accident that had hospitalized Penny and killed her boyfriend. "One night she was walking back to her room, crying, I talked to her, we walked back to her room, and then she kissed me."

Stu raised an eyebrow. Drew looked away. His eyes fell on Penny who was dancing ridiculously close to Brie. Stu seen the way Drew looked at her. Maybe there really was something there. Drew turned back to his friend, and said, "So, you and Alicia make quite the couple."

"Yeah, we..."

He was interrupted by Drew smiling, "Speak of the devil."

Stu turned to see Alicia walking over to them, "Hi Drew," she said, before turning her attention to Stu.

* * *

><p>Penny just so happened to turn to face Nikki when she seen the door to the club open and in walked Stu and Alicia. "I swear I'm starting to think he's stalking me."<p>

"Who?" Nikki asked.

"Stu." Brie replied from over Penny's shoulder.

They watched as Alicia walked away and Stu spotted Drew. They watched Stu and Drew talk, and they watched Alicia return. "Go get him," Nikki told her.

"Get who?" Penny asked.

"Drew, duh!" Nikki replied.

"Tell him to come dance with you. We'll be fine, Daniel and Nick will be here any minute now anyways," Brie said.

Penny nodded and walked over to the table, smiling.

Drew smiled at her when she got to the table. Alicia had been going on about something but stopped when Penny got there. Penny smiled sweetly at Alicia, and said hello to Stu before grabbing Drew's hands and pulling him to his feet, "Come dance with me," she told him.

"What about-"

"They're fine, Daniel and Nick are almost here. Besides, you're more fun to dance with."

Drew turned to Stu and said, "I guess we'll talk later."

Stu nodded and waved a good-bye as Penny dragged Drew out onto the dance floor.

**April 13, 2012**

Nikki, Brie, and Penny all sat around the coffee table with coloring books and markers spread out on it. Drew sat on the couch close to Penny, Daniel, Nick, Heath, and Justin sat at the small table eating before the house show started. "Oh no!" Penny shouted after she finished coloring Cinderella's arm.

"What'd you do?" Brie asked.

"I just realized I used the wrong color. The shades on the caps are too similar."

Nikki laughed, "Cinderella looks like she's been sunburned."

"Shut up! At least her hair's the right color."

"In my defense, there's no black."

"So, you could have used brown instead of coloring Silvermist's hair blue."

"It's my coloring book, I'll use whatever colors I want!"

"Women complain about guys being immature, but y'all act like children."

Nikki and Penny stuck their tongues out at him, and Brie said, "Ignore him. He's just jealous that we didn't ask if he wants to color too."

"Why would I want to do that?"

Brie held up another book, "You know you want to color too."

Heath shook his head and ignored them.

Penny went back to coloring Cinderella and didn't even look up as Alicia and Stu entered the room, both of them dressed in their wrestling gear. Alicia noticed what they were doing and commented on how much Aladdin was her favorite Disney film, then asked if there was any more Jasmine pictures. "No. I just finished coloring the last princess picture."

"And this book isn't actually mine," Nikki said, referring to her Disney fairies book.

Heath looked at them as if they were some strange and unusual thing in a freak show, but didn't bother to comment. When the girls were done witht the pictures they had been working on, they gathered their things and left the room, going back to the locker room.


	17. Her Jewelry

**April 17, 2012**

John Laurinaitis sat in his office, going over the program for the show that night when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he called.

The door opened and Alicia Fox appeared, shutting the door behind her. "Mr. Laurinaitis, I was thinking, since Nikki's already lost three times, maybe I could get a shot at the Women's title. After all, I haven't had a shot in a very long time."

John thought about it for a few minutes, he didn't think Alicia had a better chance of beating Penny than Nikki had, but he shrugged anyways, "If you beat Nikki tonight, you can have a shot at Penny at the next pay-per-view."

Alicia smiled and thanked John.

Unfortunately for Nikki, the referee caught her and Brie in their attempt at Twin Magic, and Alicia took advantage of the opportunity, beating Nikki and becoming the new number one contender.

**April 19, 2012**

_"So it's time to take some action, boys. It's time to follow me!" _Penny groaned and rolled onto her other side. She opened her eyes to see Gaston leading the villagers through the town towards the Beast's castle. She reached for the BluRay controller and hit 'stop' before turning the TV off. She rolled back, facing the wall and curled up under the blanket. She laid there for a few minutes before she realized she needed something to drink.

She got out of bed and left her room. As she got close to the kitchen, she could hear noise, someone was in there. She brushed aside the thoughts that came creeping into her imagination. It was just Phil, most likely getting a midnight snack. But as she got closer to the doorway, she heard muffled voices. Voices that weren't Phil's.

She quietly darted across the hall to Phil's door, hoping to not draw any attention to herself. She turned the knob, it was unlocked. She carefully shut the door, trying not to make any noise, and she locked it. "Phil," she said, in a low voice, waking her brother up.

"What?" he asked, his eyes half-closed, and his voice tired.

"Somebody's here."

That woke Phil up. He jumped out of bed, dressed only in a pair of gym shorts, and grabbed a shirt from the chair nearby. "Stay in here," he said, handing her the phone that was on the nightstand. "Call the police, and DO NOT open the door until they get here. Lock it."

He started towards his door when Penny stopped him. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think?"

"You can't go in there. They might have guns or something."

"Penny, I'll be-"

"No, Phil, you're not going in there."

He sighed and sat down in the chair.

Confident she won their little argument, Penny dialed 9-1-1 on Phil's cell and waited semi-patiently for the operator to answer. She gave the necessary information and now all they could do was wait.

She handed Phil his phone and sat down on the edge of the bed. Phil was itching to get up and go in there, but he stayed put for Penny.

The door handle jiggled, "It's locked," they heard the muffled voice.

Another voice replied, but they were too far away from the door to be understood. Penny tensed and Phil clenched his fists, getting ready to go into action. Whoever the other person was must have called them away because nothing happened.

It must have been ten minutes before they heard the sirens outside, and shouting from inside. Glass broke and they could hear cops shouting outside for the burglars to stop. Phil stood and walked out of his bedroom, Penny followed, not wanting to be left alone.

It didn't take long before there was a knock on the door and Phil answered to find a uniformed police officer standing on the doorstep. Penny relayed what had happened for the officers and he asked what was missing. Penny shrugged, and the officers waited while Phil checked the kitchen for any missing items. "Nothing in there's missing," he said when he returned.

"What about in the other rooms?" the officer asked.

Penny ran to her room, remembering she had left the door open. Her dresser drawers were pulled out and her clothes rummaged through. She walked to the bathroom and seen the door on her jewelry box ajar. Her breath caught in her throat as she opened the door.

She opened the tiny drawer under the necklaces to find it empty. The diamond encrusted tiara she wore on her wedding day was gone, along with the necklace and earrings she wore that day, and her engagement and wedding rings from Stu. She placed the jewelry in that small compartment the day after she moved in with Phil, and now it was gone.

Penny and Phil finished giving the report, and after giving the officer a picture of the stolen jewelry, they were left alone. Penny sat on the couch, quiet. She didn't even look up when Phil handed her a cup of hot chocolate. "I'm sorry about the jewelry," Phil told her.

Penny shook her head, "It doesn't matter. I don't even know why I kept any of it," she lied. She had intended to get rid of it, eventually. The rings anyways. But so much had happened after her return from Europe, that it never crossed her mind. Then, when she started to fall for Stu again, she couldn't bring herself to get rid of it.

**April 23, 2012**

Penny walked down the hall at the arena, she was still a bit shaken from what had happened the week before, so couldn't help but jump when Stu called out to her. She turned and put on a smile. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, it's just...I heard about what happened last week. You know, about the burglary."

"Oh."

"So, you're okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah." She gave him that fake smile again. "They didn't get anything important," she lied again. "We got a new security system, and a neighbor watches the place for us when we're gone now, so, it's all good."

Stu smiled, "Well, I'm glad you're fine."

Penny smiled again, "I've got to go. I'm going to be joining commentary tonight for Alicia's match, so I need to get ready."

Stu had forgotten about that, "Right. I'll talk to you later then."

Penny nodded and turned to continue her way to her locker room.


	18. Their Doubts

**April 30, 2012**

Penny walked into the green room at the arena, about to start another RAW. Nikki, Brie, Heath, Justin, Stu, and Eve were all sitting around the room. Brie looked up and smiled when Penny walked in. She was barefoot and running around in an off-white sundress, that was much too short, and had a black floral pattern and lace trimming. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for the show?" Brie asked.

"I will in a few minutes. I need to find Drew, I need a partner for an intergender match tonight."

"Doesn't he have a dark match in like...30 minutes?" Heath asked.

Penny turned to face him. "Yes." A grin crept across her face, "Heath..."

"No."

"Please. You don't have a match tonight. It would really mean a lot to me." She batted her eyelashes and made a pleading expression, holding her hands together.

Heath groaned. "Fine. I'll do it. Hurry and go find Drew. He's probably in one of the locker rooms."

She squealed, and hugged Heath, "Thank you!" She ran back out of the room, and hurried down the hall.

"Nobody can resist that pout, huh?" Justin teased him, smiling.

Stu rolled his eyes, knowing very well that if she had turned that look to him he'd of done anything she asked. He couldn't help it. No one could. There was just something about Penny.

Which brought him to another thought, Alicia had failed to tell him that her opponent was Penny. So tonight, assuming she found Drew in time, Stu would be facing his best friend and his ex-wife. What a match!

**1 Hour and 25 Minutes Later**

Stu stepped through the curtain, no longer Stu Bennett. He was now Wade Barrett. The crowd booed and he smirked as Lillian announced his and Alicia's presence to the WWE Universe. They made their way to the ring, and being the gentleman that he is, he held the ropes apart as Alicia climbed into the ring, prancing around and acting like a bimbo.

Stu's, or Wade's, music stopped, and "Bad Reputation began to fill the room. "And their opponents, first, from Chicago, Illinois, the current Women's Champion..." Lillian's words were lost on his ears as Penny ran out there, stopping at the top of the stage, the belt worn proudly around her waist. She posed, flipping her hair, and smiling at the mix of boos and cheers. She stood straight, her hands on her hips, and waited as the music changed, and Drew's began. Lillian continued the introduction as Drew joined Penny at the top of the ramp. They smiled at each other before walking down to the ring.

Drew held the ropes for Penny, and she climbed into the ring, before leaning against the top rope, and sitting on the middle rope. Drew got into the ring and Penny climbed up on the turnbuckle, posing for her photo op. She jumped down and removed the belt from her waist. She handed it to the referee before joining Drew in their corner. Stu could hear them talking, but with the roar of the crowd, it was impossible to tell what was being said.

Alicia and Penny agreed to start the match. Just before the bell rang, Alicia turned and placed a quick kiss on Stu's cheek. Penny raised an eyebrow at the display, clearly undisturbed by the display of affection. It was easy for Penny to take advantage of Alicia. Throwing her around the ring like a weightless rag doll. Penny stood, flipping her hair and smiling wickedly for the cameras while Alicia writhed in pain at Penny's feet. Penny turned to Drew and shouted, "Do you want in? Or should I go ahead and finish her off?"

Drew shrugged and reached out. Penny stepped over Alicia as if she was something gross on a sidewalk. Drew was tagged in, which meant Wade was automatically the legal man. He climbed through the ropes, and ducked a clothesline from Drew while Alicia rolled out of the ring. Drew versus Wade was a considerably better match-up, considering that not only were they both skilled and talented wrestlers, but that they knew all of each other's weaknesses and strengths. Drew knew how to counter the best moves Wade had, and vice versa. Penny was finally tagged back in, because that was the only way the match was going to come to an end, and they were being rushed. After all, they had a time limit. "End it," Drew whispered to Penny as she climbed back into the ring. Alicia reluctantly slipped back through the ropes.

Once again, Penny dominated Alicia, and after delivering a sunset flip powerbomb, Penny got the three count. Drew got back in the ring, and Alicia rolled out. She and Stu turned back to the ring to see Drew's and Penny's hands raised in victory. Penny smirked at Alicia before turning to Drew, and, standing on the tips of her toes, she kissed him. Stu took a deep breath before turning around, not wanting to see anymore. Of course, he hadn't thought about the titantron displaying a ridiculously large image of Penny and Drew with their arms around each other. He looked down at his feet as he walked, Alicia close behind.

Penny and Drew made their way backstage. A stage hand gave them both a bottle of water and a hand towel before scurrying off to get ready for the next segment of the show. When he was certain there was no one around to over hear, Drew turned to Penny, "What was that?"

"What?"

"That kiss."

Penny shrugged, "After the little stunt Alicia pulled at the beginning of the match, it just seemed like the thing to do."

"So, you think she was trying to make you jealous?"

Penny shrugged, "The look on her face certainly said that."

* * *

><p>Stu had forgotten his bottle of water on the table near the gorilla position. He had sat it down when Cody had walked up. They'd had a brief conversation, and Stu forgot to grab it before he headed for his locker room. He was about to turn the corner, but stopped when he heard a familiar voice.<p>

Drew chuckled, "So, how much longer do you think this little stunt Brie and Nikki came up with is going to work?"

There was a pause, then Penny's voice, "I don't know. I'm not even sure it's been working."

"I don't know, the way they show up every where we are, the way he looks at you when you're in the same room. It seems to be working. But you know, we can't keep up this facade forever. I still don't understand why you haven't just told him anyways."

"What would be the point? He's happy with Alicia. It was just stupid of me to think that this would work. And using you of all people, his best friend, it just...It just seems wrong now. I'm not sure we should've done this."


	19. Her Eavesdropping

**May 1, 2012**

It was early morning. Stu hadn't slept much. All night he'd been tormented by what he'd overheard. He wanted to just march up to Penny and Drew and confront them, but for some reason, he didn't. Sighing, he got out of bed, got dressed, and grabbed his wallet and key-card. He took the elevator down to the lobby to get a capuchino. As he headed back towards the elevator, he seen Penny coming out of the small gym. She reached the elevator before him and pressed the button.

By the time he got to the elevator, the doors opened and they stepped inside. Penny pressed the '8' button before turning to ask him, "What floor?"

"Um...eight."

She smiled at him, a simple friendly smile.

_Do it,_ he told himself,_ confront her! _"So, did the police ever catch your burglar?"

"Huh? Oh...yeah...it was just a couple of juvenile deliquents, they'd already been in trouble with the law before. They were trying to get drug money."

"Damn." He paused, "Did you get your jewelry back?"

"Most of it. The pawn shop it had been sold to had already sold..." she took a deep breath. "They had already sold my rings...my...wedding rings that you gave me."

She didn't look at him. She couldn't.

"You still had them?"

She shrugged, "I had intended to get rid of them, but I've been so busy since I got back from Europe, and then there was the accident and everything...I guess it just slipped my mind."

Stu gently touched her cheek. His fingertips grazing her skin as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Penny looked up at him.

There was no time to think about anything before it happened. Her arms were around his neck, his arms around her waist, their mouths together in a kiss. She closed her eyes, feeling his tongue against her lips. She opened her mouth to him, their tongues dancing, fighting for control. Her hand was in his hair, her fingers tangling in it. Stu brought one of his hands up, caressing the back of her head while the other hand pulled her even closer to him.

Penny brought herself to her senses right as the elevator stopped on the eigth floor. She placed her hands on his chest, pushing him away as the elevator "dinged" and the doors opened. "This is wrong, we can't." was all she could manage. She hurried out of the elevator and started off down the hall.

"Penny..." Stu wanted her to stay, he wanted to wrap his arms around her again.

"No, Stu."

"Penny, I know you and Drew aren't actually dating." She stopped, her back still to him. "I heard you and him talking. I know you still love me...or at least, that you love me again."

She turned, facing him, but not looking at him, "Yeah, but you and Alicia are together."

Stu was speechless. All he could do was watch as she continued down the hall, disappearing around the corner. He turned and slowly walked back to his room.

**7:38 PM**

Drew and Penny "broke up" that day. If Stu had discovered the secret there was no sense in continuing the charade. Now, Penny sat in the women's locker room, lacing up her boots for what she hoped was her last match against Alicia Fox. There was a knock on the door, then it opened before Penny could respond.

Penny grinned at the face that appeared. "Layla!" she shouted. Penny jumped up and hugged her friend, "I missed you!"

"I've missed you."

"You're all better now?"

Layla shrugged, "I have to wear a knee brace, but it's nothing I can't imagine." They hugged again, before sitting back down. They sat and talked, and caught up.

**8:03 PM**

Alicia started to open the door, but stopped when she heard the conversation going on, "So, when am I getting my shot, Champ?"

Alicia heard Penny laugh, "Soon enough. Once I prove to Laurinaitis that Alicia is a waste of a contract, he'll need a new number one contender."

Alicia stood there, the door slightly cracked, listening to Penny and Layla belittle her. She was about to just barge in there, when Layla changed the subject, "So, how are things with you and Stu, is it weird being around each other?"

Through the crack, Alicia could just barely see Penny shrug, "It was a little bit at first, then things kind of went back to how they were before we ever even started dating, but..."

"But what?"

"Well...this morning...this morning he kissed me, and I...I love him, but I can't do that, even if he is with someone I can't stand, I just can't condone in kissing someone that's in a relationship of any kind."

Alicia carefully shut the door back, hoping Layla nor Penny would notice, and fighting off the tears, she marched down the hall to confront her boyfriend.


	20. Their Dinner

**May 2, 2012**

It was past midnight. Alicia didn't confront Stu like she had wanted to. She just couldn't believe it. Maybe Penny knew she was standing therre. Maybe Penny was just trying to make her jealous. After all, Penny and Drew had just broken up. She laid in bed in the hotel room, staring blankly at the ceiling. There wasn't anything worth watching on TV. She glanced at the clock. It'd be one soon. Maybe Stu was back now. She had declined his offer to go out, telling him she didn't feel well, and he should just go have fun with his friends.

She sighed and got out of bed. She pulled a lush white bathrobe over hir nightshirt and slid her feet into her flipflops. She slipped her room key into the robe pocket and started down the hall towards Stu's room.

* * *

><p>Stu sat at the table, another beer in hand. It was late, he should get going. Why had he even come out tonight? He sighed as his eyes landed on her again. Now that she was "single", everyone wanted to dance with her, and she hadn't refused many of the offers. Currently, Penny was dancing rather closely to Heath to a Rihanna song filled with innuendos.<p>

She was smiling and laughing, singing along. Heath was smiling with her. "I'm gonna head back now," he said to Drew, getting up from the table.

"You want her," Drew said, before Stu could walk away.

Stu turned back around and shrugged, "I miss her."

"You know what you have to do."

Stu nodded, and the conversation ended.

* * *

><p>Stu slid his key into the lock and pushed the door open. His hand had just found the lightswithc when a voice called out to him, "Stu!" He turned to see Alicia standing there.<p>

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Um...kind of. Look, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Alright. Uh...come in."

"No! No, it'd be easier for me out here."

"Okay." Stu shut the door and leaned against the frame. "What is it?"

There was a long pause while Alicia tried to gather her thoughts and figure out exactly what to say to him. "I overheard Layla and Penny talking, and there's something I need to know. I need to know if it's true." She stopped, still trying to gather herself. But the look on Stu's face was enough to tell her he knew what she was talking about, and it was true. Alicia looked down at the floor, "Did you..." A deep breath, trying to stay composed. "Did you kiss her? Did you kiss Penny?"

His expression was all that she needed to confirm it. "I...yes."

She nodded, refusing to look him in the eye. "Alright then. I'll see you later."

"Alicia..."

"No, Stu." She shook her head. "That was all I needed to know. It's over. I hope you and Penny are happy together."

She turned and walked away. Stu sighed and walked into his room. It was over. He was free. He could happily take Penny back, but he felt awful that things ended between him and Alicia like that.

**May 11, 2012**

Penny returned to her locker room after beating Kelly and Alicia in a tag match with Layla. The room was empty, but there was a folded piece of white cardstock sitting on the bench in front of the cubby where Penny's bag hung. Penny picked it up. Scrawled across the inside of the card was an address and a time.

Penny showered and got dressed, a simple dark blue dress and matching shoes. She left her hair down, and didn't bother with any make up. Curiosity had gotten the best of her, and she was going to find out what was waiting for her at the predetermined place and time.

She told Brie and Nikki where she was going before leaving, just in case something happened to her.

Penny pulled up at the designation five minutes early, and was even more curious when she seen it was a fancy French restaurant. _At least I wore a dress,_ she thought walking up the stone steps to the double doors. There was a man in a tuxedo standing at a podium in the entrance. He looked up at her, "Ms. Brooks-Bennett?"

"Um...yes." She said, slightly stunned at his use of the 'Bennett' part. Legally, that was still part of her name, but she didn't use it anymore.

"Right this way."

She followed him to the back of the restaurant, to a private room. He opened the door, ushering her in. "You're date will be here in just a few minutes."

"Um...alright."

The host left, and she took a seat at the only table in the room. She sat as patiently as possible. Soon enough, the door opened, and the host reappeared, following behind him was none other than Stu. He smiled at her. She was at a loss for words. "Sorry I'm late. You left sooner than I thought you would," he told her.

"But...why?" she asked, unable to form her thoughts into actual words.

The door shut behind him and he walked over to her, looking handsome as ever in his suit. "Penny, I still love you, more than anything. And I know we've been through so much, but I want to try again. "

"I don't know." _What are you thinking?_ she silently reprimande herself. _This is what you wanted._

"Just have dinner with me tonight, and we'll go from there."

Penny nodded.

After dinner, Stu and Penny strolled through the park arm in arm. It was as if nothing had ever changed. Everything was perfect. They got back to the hotel at the same time, and Stu walked Penny to her room.

Penny turned to him. "Stu..."

"Yes?"

She threw her arms around him, "I love you. I always have. It was stupid to let you go, I don't know what I was thinking."

He wrapped his arms around her, "It's okay. I forgive you, and I love you too."

She looked up at him, "We can start over?"

He nodded before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. It was the kiss to end all kisses. It was more passionate, more romantic, and more loving than any other kiss they had ever shared.

When they finally broke the kiss, Stu ran a finger down her cheek. "Penny?"

"Yes, Stu?"

"I'm taking you back because I intend to spend the rest of my life with you. I don't want anyone else but you."

"Me too." He held her close.

That night, and every night afterwards, Penny spent in Stu's arms.


End file.
